The Power the Dark Lord Knows not
by Healer Pomfrey
Summary: Voldemort is sick with the flu and asks Severus Snape to heal him. What if Severus and Harry cooperate using the power the Dark Lord knows not? AU after book 4, set in Harry's fifth year, RATING because of DEATH!Voldemort


**The ****Power the Dark Lord Knows not**

Tom turned around, trying to find a cool spot on his pillow like he had been doing since his Death Eaters had left and he had gone to bed several hours ago. '_Did any of my stupid servants cast a strange spell on me last night?'_ he mused, fiercely rubbing his forehead. _'I'm feeling absolutely awful. My throat hurts so much that I can hardly swallow. Maybe it wasn't a spell, but I'm sick_,' he finally realised, groaning inwardly. '_With that headache, I won't be able to make a plan how to lure Potter into the Ministry, but I just have to get that bloody prophecy_.'

He let out a few harsh coughs as a shiver ran through his body. '_I'll call Bella. Maybe she can help me_,' he decided. One of his closest friends was always staying in his guest room overnight, because he was afraid to spend the night alone in case the Order of the Phoenix would choose that night to attack.

"Snotty," he shouted, shocked how hoarse his voice was, and sighed in relief as his house-elf obediently appeared in front of him.

"Yes Master Lord Voldemort, sir; what cans Snotty dos for you?" Snotty queried, bowing so deeply that his large ears wiped the floor.

"I'm afraid one of those dunderheads gave me some kind of sickness. Call Bella and tell me she has to save my life."

"Yes Master Lord Voldemort, sir," Snotty replied and popped away.

A few minutes later, Bella appeared in Tom's bedroom, yawning. "Good morning, my Lord. What's wrong?" she asked sleepily.

"I'm sick. Make me better!" Tom demanded, before he ended up in a coughing fit.

"Oh my, you really look sick, my Lord," Bella said in surprise, unable to remember having seen the Dark Lord being ill before.

Tom jerked back badly as he felt an ice cold hand on his forehead. "What do you think you're doing?" he hissed hoarsely.

"I was merely checking if you have a fever," Bella said worriedly. "You're burning up, my Lord. I should call a Healer or at least a Mediwitch."

"There is no Healer among my friends," Tom croaked. "Call Severus and tell him to bring me a potion. I don't trust any other Potion Master or Healer."

"Yes my Lord," Bella replied and made her way through several hidden doors until she reached Tom's living room, the only room at Riddle Manor with a fireplace.

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Twenty minutes later, Severus Snape entered the Dark Lord's bedroom, his black Healer's bag in his hand. "Good morning, my Lord," he greeted politely. "Bella told me you were feeling unwell?" he queried, raising an eyebrow at the Tom, noticing that his red eyes were glazed over and his cheeks were feverishly flushed.

"Yes, I feel very unwell. Give me a potion that heals me immediately," Tom demanded, coughing again.

"Yes my Lord. However, I have to find out what is ailing you first," Severus replied, grinning inwardly as he coaxed a Muggle thermometer under Tom's tongue, causing the man to throw him a terrified look.

"Go ga?" Tom queried around the glassy device, shivering violently at the cold touch in his mouth.

"That is a thermometer, which I need to check your body temperature," Severus explained patiently as he pulled his wand and waved it over his patient to cast a simple diagnostic spell that Poppy had taught him a few years ago.

"I'm afraid you have the flu," he told Tom as he plucked the device from his patient's lips and glanced at the display that showed a very high temperature. "You have a very high fever and need to stay in bed. I have to return to Hogwarts and fetch a potion for you. Maybe I'll need to brew it first; I'm not sure; I must check my stock." He glanced at his wrist watch. "I'll be back in two hours at the latest."

"Hurry, Severus; I feel so sick," Tom whined, shivering violently.

"Bella, wet a towel and place it on his forehead," Severus instructed the female Death Eater as he returned to the Apparition area. "It'll make him feel a bit better."

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"Oh Bella, I think I'm going to die. Tell me, how can I defeat Potter before dying?" Tom croaked, jerking back once more as Bella adjusted a cool towel on his burning forehead.

"Oh my, get well first and then think about killing the baby," Bella said softly, gently bathing his hot face. "It was a good choice to call Severus. He knows what he is doing. Try to sleep for a while, my Lord. I'll be here with you until Severus returns."

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Unbeknownst to Tom, Gryffindor fifth year student Harry Potter was able to watch Tom's thoughts whenever he wanted. During that night, Harry was staying up late in order to finish his Potions homework. However, his thoughts kept drifting away, and when Harry randomly checked Tom's thoughts he found out that Voldemort was ill and had requested Snape to come and help him.

When the Potions Master told Tom that he had to check on him and then fetch a Potion, Harry's mind worked quickly. The boy hurriedly transformed into his phoenix Animagus form and flashed into the Potions classroom, gathering four protective gloves and a small phial, before he flashed to the Apparition border, knowing that the Potions Master would be going to arrive any minute.

He was just in time, because only seconds later, the Slytherin Head arrived, looking as if he was deep in thoughts. "Professor," Harry addressed him in a soft voice as not to startle the man.

"Potter, what are you doing here in the middle of the night?" Snape queried, glaring at Harry as he spotted him at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

"Professor, can you use basilisk poison in the flu potion?" he asked the Potions Master, causing Snape's eyes to widen.

"Yes."

"Grab my tail feathers then, sir," Harry instructed the man and flashed the two of them into the Chamber of Secrets, where they carefully took a little bit of poison from the basilisk's cadaver.

"That should be enough," Severus said contentedly, pocketing the phial. "Can you flash me into my office, Potter?"

"Of course," Harry replied and flashed back into the Potions Master's office, where Snape grabbed two phials from his potions cabinet, lacing one of them with the venom. "Back to the Apparition point, sir?" Harry queried and flashed the man out on the grounds as he saw him nod. "Good luck, Professor. In case he wants you to taste the potion, you must come up with an excuse to hold him off for a minute. I'll be watching and I can flash to get you within seconds."

"Thank you, Potter," Severus said evenly and apparated away.

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A few minutes later, Severus once more entered Tom's bedroom, noticing that the Dark Lord looked worse for the wear. Smirking inwardly, he gently helped the man to sit up just enough to drink a potion, before he pressed the phial with the fever reducer against his patient's lips.

"What is it?" Tom croaked weakly.

"It's a fever reducer, my Lord. Don't dwell on the taste, just gulp it down; you'll feel much better afterwards," Severus replied in a soft, silky voice, causing the Dark Lord to instinctively obey. '_He must feel very ill if he doesn't take any precautions but just drinks what I'm giving him_,' he mused as he observed the sick man down the potion.

"Uh, that's absolutely gross," Tom complained, crossly. "I'm not going to drink anything else."

Severus carefully placed the back of his hand on the man's forehead, noticing that it had cooled down considerably. "It helped though. Your fever seems to be much lower now, my Lord. Now you still have to take the flu potion, or do you want me to spell it straight into your stomach?"

"Yes, do that and hurry up, Severus," Tom replied impatiently as he lay back and closed his eyes in expectation, unaware of the fact that he would never open them again. Deep in the back of his mind he heard Harry laugh as he drifted off to eternal slumber.

**The End**

_My muse insisted on writing another little one-shot. I hope you liked it nonetheless ;-)_

_I'm not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes or help me to correct them._

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


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